{"id":104,"date":"2010-01-13T13:47:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-13T18:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/13\/singing-the-microphone-blues\/"},"modified":"2010-01-13T14:17:47","modified_gmt":"2010-01-13T19:17:47","slug":"singing-the-microphone-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/13\/singing-the-microphone-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Singing the Microphone Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, I have a new microphone but don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not using it for singing. The injuction that the neighbours filed is probably still in effect. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been making Excel tutorial videos for a while, and posting them on my Contextures site and YouTube. The most popular video, Drop Down List in Excel<\/a>, was created in June 2008, and I probably used the $10 microphone that came with the computer. <\/p>\n

The sound quality isn\u2019t too good, and I\u2019ve tried other microphones since then, with varying results. So, to improve the videos, I decided to splurge on a better microphone. <\/p>\n

After hours of Googling, and reading reviews, I chose the Rode Podcaster<\/a> USB microphone. I ordered it from Vistek, a Canadian chain that specializes in cameras and video equipment. <\/p>\n

The microphone, at $349 CDN, wasn\u2019t cheap, and I hoped it would prove to be a good investment. I unpacked the microphone and plugged it in, and after a bit of fiddling with the audio settings, it worked well. <\/p>\n

However, the microphone is quite heavy \u2013 the specifications say 21.5 ounces, which is about 1.5 pounds. If you\u2019re trying to record your voice and use the keyboard at the same time, it\u2019s a bit of a challenge. <\/p>\n

The microphone came with a \u201cMicrophone Stand Mount\u201d but I discovered that\u2019s something you attach to a microphone stand. And, of course, I didn\u2019t have one of those lying around the office. (To the people at Rode and Vistek: It would help if you mentioned what accessories are required.) <\/p>\n

So, it was back to Vistek to order a microphone stand. After waiting, and waiting, I learned that the new guy who took the order hadn\u2019t processed it. He just took the money and put the order in a drawer somewhere, or forgot to push the right button. <\/p>\n

The stand finally arrived, and I tried to figure out how to attach the stand mount and microphone to the stand. There were no instructions with the stand, and no pictures anywhere on the web, that I could find. All the pictures show the microphone separately. What help is that? <\/p>\n

Finally, I found instructions that said to attach the microphone through the loop in the stand, using the locking collar at the bottom of the microphone. That was helpful, except that my microphone didn\u2019t come with one of those. <\/p>\n

Another phone call to Vistek, and they found another Rode Podcaster in stock. So, they took the locking collar from that one, and gave it to me. Here\u2019s the Rode Podcaster Microphone attached to its microphone stand mount with the locking collar. <\/p>\n

\"RodePodcaster01\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

And a side view.<\/p>\n

 \"RodePodcaster02\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

Now, after only five trips to the store, I have a new, fully functioning, microphone and stand. <\/p>\n

But I\u2019m too tired to use it! <\/p>\n

___________<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yes, I have a new microphone but don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not using it for singing. The injuction that the neighbours filed is probably still in effect. I\u2019ve been making Excel tutorial videos for a while, and posting them on my Contextures site and YouTube. The most popular video, Drop Down List in Excel, was created … Continue reading “Singing the Microphone Blues”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-excel-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nSinging the Microphone Blues - Debra D's Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/13\/singing-the-microphone-blues\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Singing the Microphone Blues - Debra D's Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yes, I have a new microphone but don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not using it for singing. 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